The Best Laid Plans
by buriednurbckyrd
Summary: Sequel to Handmade & Homemade. Dean and Castiel have been together for a year now, their relationship and both of their businesses are thriving. But there are some secrets lurking beneath the surface, and they must face them together or collapse beneath the weight. (M rating just in case)
1. Chapter 1

Castiel shivered when he got out of his pick up truck. The early October morning was colder than he had expected. Luckily for him, his boyfriend Dean's cafe and bakery was only steps away. He could get a hot cup of coffee and maybe convince him to take a five minute make out break before he had to open his own shop. He grinned and jogged down the street.

"Hey Cas!" a cheery voice called out to him when he walked into the bakery, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Six months previously, Dean had made the decision to hire some help. He contacted a friend from the culinary school he had attended, Garth, who accepted the job with his trademark optimism. Garth had also recommended a fresh graduate from the pastry program, a tireless and unflappable brunette that made the best cake any of them had ever tasted. "Usual?" Kat asked him, already moving to fix his favorite latte.

"Yes, please. Can I get a hot cocoa to bring to Charlie as well?"

"You got, sugar." She winked at him. "The other thing you're wanting is in the kitchen rolling out pie crust." He brushed his lips over her cheek before slipping through the door leading to the back.

Dean was pouring thick cherry pie filling into a crust when Castiel wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Shit, Cas, I almost dumped this onto the counter!" He exclaimed with a jolt.

"We have been dating for an entire year and you still don't seem to know when I'm coming." Cas nipped at the back of his neck and huffed a small laugh. "I don't know if I should be disappointed in your failure to notice me, or be impressed with my own stealth."

"Laugh it up, I'm gonna get you a damn bell." He covered the pie with the top crust and deftly pinched the dough together. "Kat always pokes some fancy design in the top when she makes the pies," he said, piercing the top with a sharp knife. "But I'm not Kat so they get a regular, boring pie."

"Speaking as someone who has eaten more of your pie than is possibly healthy, there's nothing regular or boring about anything you make." Dean washed his hands and turned around with a wicked grin.

"Something about that statement sounded vaguely dirty." Castiel felt the same warm rush he got every time Dean looked at him that way. He wondered if it would last another year, and he hoped it never went away.

"You know, I have about ten minutes before I have to unlock the shop."

"That's convenient, I have a good ten minutes I can spend necking with you out in the Impala."

...

Kat had two to-go cups hot and ready to go when a mussed Castiel managed to unwrap himself from Dean. He inhaled the scent of coffee deeply.

"You're an angel, you know that right?"

"I may have heard that before," she replied with a giggle. "Can I get you anything else before you go?" Castiel eyed the blueberry muffins and sighed.

"I'm weak. Bag me up a blueberry muffin…and I know Charlie will pout if I don't bring her a cheese Danish."

"Well don't say I twisted your arm, Cas!" She turned to put the pastries into a bag. The door opened and a few teenaged boys came in to suck down cappuccinos and ogle Kat before they had to run over to the high school.

"Your adoring public?"

"Hmm?" She looked over her shoulder and snorted. "Oh. They're sweet kids. They don't say anything gross and they usually look me in the eye when they order." Castiel laughed and took the bag from her.

"Thanks for the morning treats."

"You're very welcome." She leaned over and smacked a kiss on his cheek. Cas heard a few grumbles from the teenagers behind him. He laughed to himself after he walked through the jealous stares. Fortified by the excellent coffee Kat had brewed, the fall morning didn't feel quite as chilly.

Charlie was humming happily over her work table when he walked in the shop to greet her.

"You were always my favorite brother." She told him when he handed her the pastry and hot drink.

"I'm your only brother." He replied. Charlie sighed with pleasure as she bit into the sweet roll.

"You're still my favorite!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, you heathen," he laughed. "Anyway, what's got you in such a good mood today?" Charlie started gesturing with her free hand while she gulped down half of her hot cocoa.

"Jo finally agreed to our couple's Halloween costumes for the party at The Roadhouse! Which is especially awesome since I kind of already spent a lot of time making them."

"What are you going as?" Cas asked. Charlie grinned mysteriously and shook her head.

"You will just have to wait and see!" She finished off her cocoa and tossed the cup into the trash can. "Are you and your dreamy baker boyfriend going to dress up together? You are coming to the Halloween party, right?"

"I really don't know." Castiel frowned, and tried to remember if Dean had mentioned the party, or costumes... He _had _talked a lot about baby Emily's upcoming first birthday. "Dean is mostly occupied with Emily's birthday to be honest." He told her.

"Jess told me he promised a princess castle cake! And her own mini cake that she can really go to town on. He would probably go through all of Betty Crocker's recipes if he thought that little girl wanted him to." Castiel laughed. He thought about the last time Dean had watched Emily for Sam and Jess. He had spent hours on the floor with her, through endless games of peek-a-boo and making all sorts of ridiculous noises to make her giggle. The two of them ended up passed out on the couch, Castiel had covered them up with one of his mother's quilts. Jess had to pry her daughter out of her uncle's arms. Emily loved Dean as much as Dean adored her.

"Truth be told, he's admitted that Kat take care of most of the big cake, but the smash cake is all him."

"Do you think he wants some kids of his own one day?" Castiel felt his heart stutter at her question. He hadn't let himself really explore those thoughts.

"I..." His mouth worked like a fish out of water.

"Cas! Calm down, I was just thinking out loud!" She jumped out of her chair and took his face into her hands. "I didn't ask that to freak you out!"

"It's okay, I just... The last time I thought about kids was... With someone else..." He refused the say his name.

"Hey. Let's pretend I didn't say that, okay? Now," Charlie waved her hands as if she were brushing away any lingering dark or unpleasant thoughts. "You are both coming to the Halloween party, I won't take no for an answer, so you had better start thinking up costume ideas." Castiel groaned. He had orders to work on. He still had some finishing touches on the pretty little toy chest he was making for Emily's birthday. Halloween costumes were the last thing on his mind.

"I'll talk to Dean about it, I should be able to think of something." He finally said.

"Good! I can't wait to see what you come up with!"

"Yeah... Me either."

After making sure everything was in order, Castiel flipped their sign to 'open' and retreated back into his work room. He still had orders for custom furniture coming in at a steady pace, but the work he had done for Dean in the bakery was still paying off in a big way. He had felt strange taking money from his boyfriend, and had tried to get Dean to accept a lower payment for his work. He was refused and paid the full amount he had quoted Dean before he started the job.

Dean also insisted on putting Castiel's business cards on display at the bakery, and gladly pushed them onto anyone that commented on anything Cas had built. A few lucrative jobs had come to him that way. C&amp;C's was now solidly on track, profits were up and they usually had a steady stream of costumers interested in custom and unique furniture, and of course Charlie's fanciful creations.

Cas ran his hands over the smooth wooden chest that he imagined would hold all of Emily Winchester's childhood treasures. Dean had no idea he was working on it, he felt like he needed to keep it to himself as long as he could. Charlie had hit a nerve that he hadn't realized was so raw, and now he knew that this gift was more for him than it was for the baby. She would grow up knowing that 'Uncle Cas' built it for her, but she wouldn't _really_ remember receiving it at her first birthday.

He rested his forehead against the lid.

He stayed like that for a long moment, drawing in the dusty scent of the wood.


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel put a full day in at the shop before putting in a solid three hours at home. He winced at a nagging ache in his lower back as he walked across the lawn. He hoped Dean had eaten a decent meal, he often couldn't be bothered to do much in the kitchen after spending his days at the bakery. Cas was shocked to find a pot tomato soup simmering on the stove and the ingredients for grilled cheese sitting on the counter. Dean was trying to hold Emily while he rummaged through the diaper bag on the kitchen table.

"What is she doing here this late?" He asked before pressing a kiss to Dean's cheek, and holding the bag more open to make the search easier.

"Sam is still out of town for that lawyer bull shi-ah... Stuff. Lawyer stuff." he glanced down at his niece, and shot Cas a sheepish look. "Anyway, he's still out of town and Jess got a call from this lady she used to help out. Poor woman fell down and it looks like she dislocated her shoulder. She doesn't have any kids or family so Jess was the only one she knew that could go to the hospital with her."

"Wow, I hope she's alright."

"Jess was a nurse there for four years, she knows how to pull the strings."

"I forgot she used to work there."

"Yeah. I think she'd go back if the hours they wanted her to work weren't so insane. She wasn't sure how long she would be at the hospital, so I offered to just keep the kid over night." He pulled out a pair of footed pajamas and waved them in triumph. Castiel smiled.

"Like she had to give you a reason to keep her for the night." Dean blushed slightly as he began to get Emily changed for bed. She kicked her chubby legs happily while her uncle gently wrestled her into the pink and purple fleece.

"Go take a shower and stop making fun of me. I'll make some grilled cheese when you aren't gross anymore." Cas feigned offense.

"Gross? I am covered with the blood, sweat, and tears of hard work!"

"Yeah, yeah, you smell like a gym sock." He picked Emily up and she immediately rested her head on his shoulder. "Shower, food, bed. Go." Cas chuckled to himself and left Dean to get the baby down for bed.

…

When Cas came back down the stairs, Emily was fast asleep in Dean's arms. He was still gently swaying her and humming something that sounded vaguely like a Kansas song. Castiel's heart swelled with love and affection.

"I think she's down for the count." He murmered. Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure she was really asleep before I took her up to the crib." He started for the steps. "I'll be right down to cook the sandwiches."

Cas poured himself a glass of milk and took a deep gulp. His tired muscles felt lose and relaxed after his shower, but he was grateful the Dean was offering to cook. He stretched and rolled his neck. All the projects he had lined up were either finished and needed to dry before being picked up or delivered; or on time to be finished within the next day or so. He was looking forward to being able to put all his concentration on Emily's birthday gift and other small items for the shop. Custom furniture was his bread and butter, but he relished the smaller, more intricate projects.

"Didn't even stir, man. She sleeps like a champ." Dean's voice broke Cas out of his reverie. "It's hard to believe she's gonna be one in a few weeks," he continued and started putting the sandwiches together. "Has Kat showed you the drawings of the cake she's making?"

"Not yet." Cas replied with a small smile. He rested his chin on his hands and listened to Dean describe Kat's wild plans.

"Of course I'm making the cake for the only guest that matters," Dean wrapped up the story and slid a plate and a bowl full of soup in front of Castiel. "I know, I'm getting all chick flick-y." He grinned self consciously and started slurping his soup.

"You're adorable with that baby." Dean's ears burned bright red. He shrugged and stuffed a quarter of his sandwich into his mouth. "Alright, I won't gush. But you are." Cas dipped his grilled cheese into the soup and took a healthy bite. "I know you're all about Emily's birthday bash right now, but Charlie asked me about the Halloween party at The Roadhouse."

"Oh, what about it?"

"Well, about what we were dressing up as."

"We're doing what now?"

"It could be fun!" Cas scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah... Kat _was _talking about it the other day. I mean, she was talking more to Garth about it, but if Charlie and Jo are going too it would be fun. But nothing like, fruity."

"'Fruity'?"

"Like... No Batman and Robin couples theme... thing." Castiel barked out a laugh. "I'm serious ! I will not subscribe to the idea that Batman and Robin wanted to bang!"

"Okay Dean, no Batman and Robin. The dark knight shall remain decidedly heterosexual. Any other restrictions?"

"Uh, no tights. Just, no."

"No tights, I wholeheartedly agree." He reached over and squeezed Dean's hand. "I'm sure we can come up with something. Thank you for making dinner." The other man's green eyes twinkled with mischief.

"No problem. Of course that means you get to do dishes." Cas grimaced and huffed an annoyed sigh.

"Somehow you always manage to get out of dish duty, but deal."

…

"So Kat and Garth have been here for a while now." Cas blinked and looked up from the jewelry box he was working on.

"Charlie, we talked about this. You can't start a conversation with me when you've had the first half in your head."

"I just don't get them. They live together, which isn't really all that strange, but they have this weird... Thing." Castiel carefully set the wood burner down and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Are you trying to ask me if I think they are dating?"

"Who's dating?" Both siblings started as Jess banged into the shop, somehow balancing the baby, a diaper bag, a drink carrier, and a paper bag from Dean's bakery.

"The problem is we don't know if they're dating or not." Charlie replied, and jumped up to help Jess.

"Ah. You must mean Kat and Garth."

"How on earth did you know that's who she was talking about?" Jess raised and eyebrow at Cas and shifted Emily to her other hip.

"Because everybody's been talking about it?" She gestured at the drinks and bag. "I brought you guys breakfast. Or lunch, I have no idea what time it is. It's a thank you for taking Em last night." Cas pulled the bag out of Charlie's reach before his sister could dig in.

"She didn't do anything."

"That doesn't mean I don't get goodies!"

"I misspoke. It's a thank you _and _a bribe," Jess set Emily down by her feet and grabbed Charlie's hands. "Please take Em tonight. Sam gets back in this afternoon and I really want to have dinner with my husband with adult conversation."

"Aw, Sam won't mind? He's been gone for a week."

"Sam can spend all weekend with Emily. I need a grown up night. With grown up food. And grown up activities." Charlie barked a laugh.

"I get you, Mama. I can take the tiny human for the night."

"Thank you! Cas, give your sister a scone." Charlie accepted it and took a bite, looking very smug. "Alright guys, I have groceries in the car and Em needs lunch. And a nap."

"I can pick her up on my way home. All you'll have to do is put in the car seat."

"You are literally my favorite person right now." Jess hugged Charlie, leaned over to kiss Castiel's cheek. "Thank you again for last night, I know Dean did most of the work, but I'm glad you don't mind when she stays over."

"Don't worry about it, she's never any trouble." Jess scooped the baby into her arms, and the little girl squealed in delight.

"Okay, I love you guys. Thank you both again. Charlie, I'll see you later." Jess swept out of the shop, Emily babbling happily at them over her mother's shoulder.

"That lady needs to get LAID. I hope Sam isn't too tired after the drive back."

"Geez, Charlie." Cas sputtered.

"What? Like you don't agree with me. She's been flying solo with the kid all week. Except for last night, which she spent in the emergency room. I hope they eat some steak, knock back a nice bottle of wine and make some sweet, sweet love." Her brother cringed.

"It's not that I don't agree with you, it's just that they're family and it's a little weird picturing your family having sex."

"Alright so can we go back to wondering if Kat and Garth are hooking up? They've only been here a few months, and while we adore both of them I don't know if we've spent enough time together for them to be 'family'." Charlie ended her statement with air quotes. Castiel sighed and picked the wood burner back up.

"Wonder away..."

…

Dean picked up a pizza on his way home so the two of them spent their Friday night cuddling (a word Dean still hated using) on the couch with the greasy food and a bad movie on Netflix. Cas tried to forget that he still had to open the shop at eight o'clock the next morning.

"Do you think Kat and Garth are having sex?" He asked, his interest in the movie waning. Dean nearly choked on a bite of pizza.

"What?!"

"Apparently everyone is trying to figure out if they're a couple or not."

"Damn, why couldn't you have asked that? I work with them!"

"Well?"

"What?"

"Do you think they're having se-"

"Cas! I don't know!"

"Oh. Okay." He nudged Dean's arm to snuggle back under it.

"You're fucking weird, you know that?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Closed for a private affair!" Charlie announced as she tacked a bright pink sign onto the door of the bakery. "I can't believe Emily is a whole year old," she sighed and smoothed out the paper.

"Does this look okay?" Castiel asked her, his face wrinkled in manly confusion at the streamers he was tasked with putting up. "Jo? I think I need more tape." He wished for the hundredth time that one of the girls would have done the decorating, but he was the only one tall enough to reach the ceiling, even on the ladder. (Dean was too, of course, but they were pretending he wasn't so his fear of heights didn't need to be discussed. And Sam was still at home with Emily while she napped before the party.)

"Think fast!" Jo mimed throwing the roll of tape at him, and Cas had a moment of panic. "Woah, just kidding! Here," she stretched to hand it to him. "Careful up there, Wobbles." She grinned at his scowl.

"It looks wonderful, Cas, thank you." Jess told him. She was looking much calmer now that Sam was home and the party planning was coming to fruition. Castiel climbed down the ladder with relief. The main room in the bakery had been elaborately covered in pink and blue, which were the colors Emily seemed to like the best. Charlie and Kat, being the most crafty, had collaborated on a large mural of a castle that was hung on the biggest wall. Jo was helping Jess wrap gifts, and assisting wherever she was useful.

"When is Sam coming with the guest of honor?" Charlie asked Jess.

"He just texted me, actually. She's up from her nap so he just needs to let her wake up a little bit more and get her dressed."

"Mom and Bobby should be here soon too," said Jo. "She's bringing cheese and crackers and a veggie tray."

"Well, the bakery looks beautiful. Baby girl is gonna love it." Jess stuck a bow on the final gift and started cleaning up the wrapping paper scraps.

"Oh! Cas, I think Mom's here." Charlie gestured to the little blue sedan pulling into a parking space. Castiel breathed a sigh of relief as he stuck the last end of colorful paper to the ceiling, and then carefully climbed down the ladder.

"I'll go out and help her, I need to put this back on the truck anyway."

Joanne was already busy pulling brightly colored gifts out of the trunk by the time Castiel had the ladder safely secured on his truck. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his mother's head and started taking some of the packages from her.

"You're a good boy, Cas," she said with a smile. "How did I get so lucky that I got such a wonderful son?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't... Know?" His mother was a warm loving woman, but she didn't normally greet him in such an emotional way. She smiled at him again and pushed the trunk closed with her elbow, her hands were full of presents. Castiel took a few packages from her arms.

"I know I went a little overboard," she told him as they walked into the bakery. "But once I started shopping I couldn't help myself."

"Goodness, Joanne! Did you leave anything in the stores?" Jess jumped up to take things from the two of them.

"I had a good time playing Grandma." she laughed. "I have a weakness when it comes to that little girl.

"I've actually been waiting to talk to you, if you don't mind?" Jess started picking at her nails, something she only did when she was nervous. Joanne finished stacking the gifts on the designated present table.

"Sounds very mysterious," she teased Jess. "Of course we can talk. Why don't we go into the kitchen so I can say hello to Dean first." The two women left the dining room.

Jo linked arms with Charlie and looked around the room, appraising their combined decorating skills. Cas swept up the last few scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon. He still felt like something was slightly off between him and his mother, but maybe she was just in a particularly affectionate mood. She adored Sam and Jess, and of course she was over the moon that they had given her honorary Grandmother status for little Emily. Maybe the fact that she had never gotten the opportunity to celebrate a first birthday for a child was making her extra sentimental today. That particular thought was a bit painful. Castiel and Charlie had already seen seven birthdays by the time their parents adopted them, and while they obviously had a 'first' birthday with them, it wasn't the same, was it?

Joanne didn't seem sad, so he considered that perhaps all of this was over thinking on his part.

Bobby, Ellen, and Sam with Emily managed to arrive at the same time. Everyone cooed over Emily in her special birthday dress as soon as Sam got her in the door. It was made of soft purple fabric, and she wore a matching headband with a large bow.

"Doesn't she look like a little princess!" Ellen exclaimed, and smacked Jo's hand away from the snack trays.

"Ow, Mom!" Jo whined with her best wounded expression.

"You eat when I say you eat, and not a second before." Ellen scolded her daughter and started putting the crackers back in the straight lines.

"I don't see why you need to make them all neat when we're just going to eat 'em." Jo grumbled.

"You keep sass mouthing me and you won't get a single crumb." Dean sauntered into the dining room and smirked at the blonde.

"Getting into trouble already Joanna Beth?"

"If our precious little niece weren't here, I'd show you trouble." Jo retorted. Dean just tugged on her ponytail and dodged her punch with a laugh.

"There's my favorite girl!" He exclaimed and swooped her out of Sam's arms. She giggled when Dean rubbed his rough cheek against hers. "I hope you got lots of room for cake," he winked at Cas and lowered his voice to a joking whisper. "Because I made one just for you, and it tastes way better than Kat's."

"Slanderous lies!" The curvy brunette cried from the kitchen. She pushed through the swinging doors with Garth, the two of them carrying a tray with the elaborate birthday cake she had worked so hard on.

"Oh, Kat," Charlie sighed. "You did a beautiful job, that is amazing." It wasn't a large cake, since the party was an intimate affair, but she hadn't skimped on any details. Kat flushed with pleasure and waved off the praise.

"I had fun doing it," was all she would say.

"Where's Jess?" Sam asked, looking around the room.

"She's talking to Joanne in the kitchen," Garth told him. "She said they'd be out in a few minutes."

"Wow, guys the bakery looks great." Sam took in all the decorations. "Thanks for doing all this for Em."

"Please, we're already looking forward to her second birthday." Jo told him. Sam paled a little bit.

"I'm having a hard enough time coming to terms with the fact that she's already one, let's not bring up her second birthday already." Jo laughed and hugged him. Jess and Joanne came back into the room and Jess lit up when she saw Emily.

"Hey Baby Girl!" The baby held her arms out to her mother, and Dean passed her into Jess's arms. "I can't believe you're a whole year old, it feels like yesterday you were still just a little jelly bean in a sonogram."

…

Even though Emily had taken a nice long nap before coming to the party, everyone could tell that the little girl's energy levels were waning by the time she was done opening her presents. She was far more interested in the brightly colored paper and ribbons than she was in any of the clothes they unwrapped.

"This is the last one, Em." Sam set her down on the floor next to Castiel's gift, the chest had been too large to put on the table with the others. Jess pulled up one of the edges so Emily could rip into the paper.

"Oh my goodness, Cas this is gorgeous!" Jess exclaimed when the little girl had uncovered the lid. There was a little girl holding a dragon's head in her lap, the rest of the dragon's body curled protectively around her, burned into the wood.

"I know the party theme was princesses, but I wanted to do something a little different than unicorns and...stuff." He suddenly felt bashful. Dean squeezed his hand and ran his fingers over the image.

"She'll love keeping her toys and treasures in here, thank you Cas." Jess kissed his cheek.

"Can we have cake now?" Jo asked, everyone laughed and groaned.

"Yes, Jo, we can have cake now." Sam told her. "Emily looks like she could use a bit of a sugar rush, maybe she'll get her second wind."

"Let's try and get a picture of her next to it first." Jess patted her pockets for her phone and Sam posed Emily next to the colorful confection so everyone could snap pictures of the birthday girl with her very first birthday cake. Dean pulled Castiel aside after they both got a few shots.

"I didn't know your gift was going to be so elaborate," he murmured in his boyfriend's ear. "I guess I know what you've been so preoccupied with lately." Castiel blushed and lifted his shoulder in a shrug.

"I was inspired by you, actually. Partially." He smiled at Dean's confused expression. "The dragon. You are so gentle with her, but I know that you would become her fiercest protector if she was threatened." It was Dean's turn to blush, the tips of his ears turning a bright red.

"You never cease to amaze me." He whispered. "I need to get Em's cake out of the cooler." He pressed a kiss to Castiel's temple before stepping awkwardly away. _We've been together an entire year, _Castiel thought. _And he still acts so skiddish sometimes. _

...

Dean presented Emily with the smash cake he made especially for her while Kat started cutting into her masterpiece.

"Oh my GOD this tastes as good as it looks," Charlie said after a large bite. Emily took a little more coaxing to dig into hers.

"Come on sweetheart, have at it," Dean stuck her fingers into the frosting. Emily crinkled her nose in distaste. She wiggled her fingers and then stuck them into her mouth. Once she got the taste of the fluffy sweetness she started eating with more enthusiasm. More camera sounds popped around the room as everyone documented Emily eating her cake.

"Well now that everyone is sitting here together, and the party is winding down I have a bit of an announcement," Jess began.

"You're pregnant again!" Jo exclaimed with wide eyes.

"No! I love being a Mom, but I'm not ready to handle another pregnancy, or another child quite yet. Actually, I've decided to rejoin the work force. I've talked with Sam a lot about this, and he's helped me realize that while I left the hospital for the right reasons, those reasons no longer exist."

"Jess, you were so stressed working there. I would hate to see you get buried under all that work and miss out on time with Emily." Ellen reached out and touched her arm, concern all over her face.

"I know how stressed I was Ellen," she replied. "I left because it was so overwhelming and I needed to take better care of myself so Sam and I could start our family. And the time I've had with Em over the last year has meant more to me than I can possibly say, but it's time for me to find fulfillment in other places too. I miss working." She took a deep breath and smiled. "I won't be going back to the hospital, so you can all breathe easy. I'm going to work as a visiting nurse three days a week. I can still spend good quality time with my daughter, but I can also help people. That's why I became a nurse in the first place."

"That's a really good idea," Dean said. "But what about Emily? What does she do while you and Sammy are both working?"

"I've asked Joanne if she wouldn't mind taking her during those days," Jess slide her arm around the older woman's shoulders. "And being the incredible lady she is, she has agreed."

"Quite enthusiastically, I might add." Joanne's eyes shone with happiness. "I can't wait to spend more time with her. Retired living gets quite tedious sometimes."

"Trust me, Em is never tedious!" Sam laughed and pulled the older woman into a hug. "I can't tell you how much we appreciate this. You were pretty much our first and only choice." Castiel thinks he sees his mother's eyes swim with tears at the younger Winchester's praise, but he blinks and her eyes appear dry again. He doesn't know why there's a twinge in his stomach that feels a lot like worry. Everyone seems to be happy and content, Joanne just as much as the rest, so he takes a deep breath and pushes the strange feeling aside.

"Oh my GOD." Charlie exclaims, effectively ending the discussion of Jess's plans. She gestures at the baby, absolutely covered in cake. Emily has managed to rub frosting and crumbs into her hair, face, and all down her arms and torso. Phones get pulled out again to document the mess.

"Someone's getting a bath tonight!" Jess sing-songs and takes the damp cloth Garth retrieved from the kitchen. Emily giggles and halfheartedly bats at her mother's hands. Dean and Kat start gathering up all the wrapping paper from the gifts.

"Why don't you guys get her cleaned up enough to take her home? She's probably heading for a sugar crash." Dean says to his brother. "We can take care of things here without too much trouble." Sam frowns.

"Dude, we can't just leave you here to clean everything up, you already did so much!"

"Sam, it's fine. It's gonna take a lot less time to take it down then it did to set it up."

"Don't worry about it, it really isn't any trouble." Castiel tells him. "Jess has been here all day, and Emily will be quite exhausted I imagine." His calm, reasonable tone is gentle, but brooks no argument. Sam holds up his hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay, throw us out why don't you?" He grins and pokes Jo in the ribs. "Help me load up the car, blondie?" He gets a harder poke in return.

"Come on Charlie, poor little Sam needs our help."

…

An hour later Castiel is shooing Ellen and Bobby out the door. His sister and Jo ducked out soon after Sam and Jess left with the baby; Dean sent Garth and Kat on their way after they had done up the few dishes. Cas noted that they left with Kat's arm linked up with Garth's. He shot Dean a significant look but he just shrugged. Joanne had gone home with a headache brewing, and promised to text her son when she got home.

"You're sure you don't want anymore help?" Ellen asked him again while Bobby just got into the truck and started it up.

"Dean and I just need to take the trash out to the dumpster and do a quick walk through to make sure we didn't miss anything- which we didn't." He hugged Ellen and hesitated but then presses a kiss to her cheek. She smiled warmly at him.

"Alright then, I won't ask again. Make sure that boy of mine puts his feet up when y'all get home."

"Yes ma'am." Ellen pinched his cheek playfully and got in the truck with Bobby. He waved at them as they drove away.

He barely made it in before Dean started carrying all the garbage out by himself. Castiel took one of the bags and shook his head at his boyfriend. "I told you I was coming back to help you with this."

"I know, but I can take out the trash by myself Cas." They heaved their bags into the dumpster and Dean pulled the lid closed.

"It never hurts to take help when it's offered," he replied quietly. Dean smiled and put his arm around Castiel's waist to pull him closer.

"Okay, _mom._" He pressed his face into Cas's neck and sighed deeply. "What a day."

"I know. Are you alright?" Cas ran his fingers through Dean's sandy hair.

"Yeah. Long day. 'M tired." Cas made a sound of agreement in his throat. "And..." Dean pulled away and shifted in the way he did when he was uncomfortably verging into what he called a 'chick flick moment'. "It's kind of sad. She'll never have another first birthday."

Cas knew by now that the best thing to do in this situation was to just take Dean's hand and squeeze. His tough yet vulnerable partner seemed to prefer silent support, so they stood in the cool twilight for a few moments while Dean reflected on the day. After a minute or so he smiled again and tugged on Castiel's hand. "Ready to go home?" Cas returned the grin and nodded.

"I'm under strict orders from Ellen to make you relax tonight." He told Dean when they both got to the house. He rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Whatever. I'll put my feet up if it'll get you all to stop nagging me." He gestured at Castiel with his keys accusingly. "You're just as bad as I am! Don't think I don't notice you hurtin' after you spend all day in your shop." Castiel looked away, a sheepish look on his face. "Uh-huh. You need to take it easy just as much as I do." He shucked off his jacket and started a bit when he felt Cas press his body against his. "Don't try to distract me." he said, with no real heat.

"I'm not," Cas peppered the back of his neck with kisses. "Trying. I _am _distracting you."

"Are not." Cas slid a hand down his stomach and proved him a liar.

"I'm helping you relax," he purred against Dean's ear, and the other man shivered. "Let's go get your feet up."

"Ah well, who am I to argue with that?"


	4. Chapter 4

Music was already pumping out of the speakers at The Roadhouse when Dean and Cas arrived for the annual Halloween party. Ellen was behind the bar dressed all in black with a witch's hat perched on her head. She waved at both men as she slid a bottle of beer towards someone dressed as a devil. A pretty blonde woman in a skimpy white dress, fluffy wings, and a halo stood next to him sipping something pink.

"Hmm, maybe we should have followed their example," Dean growled into Castiel's ear. "You'd look so fuckin' cute in those wings." He laughed when Cas blushed.

"But then we would not be unique. Don't you like our costumes?"

"I love them, you did a great job picking them out. Oh hey, there's Jo..." He trailed off and stared at the two women in front of them.

"_Finally _you get here! Wow! Han and Indy! I love it!" Charlie exclaimed with her usual excitement and pulled them into a huge hug. Dean stepped back and adjusted his vest with a grin. He pulled his favorite part of the costume, the blaster gun, out of Castiel's favorite part of the costume, the thigh holster. Said holster may or may not have been the reason Cas had assigned Han Solo to his boyfriend. He was wearing an old hat and a worn brown leather jacket he found at a thrift store. The whip had come from a costume shop.

"You guess look great too, um..." Dean furrowed his brow in confusion and examined them. They both seemed to be in Victorian dresses, but Jo had what looked like a Samurai sword and Charlie was painted green. "The Wicked Witch and her… Body guard?"

"Where are my manners, I haven't introduced ourselves. I am a lizard woman from the dawn of time, and this is my wife." Charlie told him with a flourish of her arms. Dean just shot Cas a confused look.

"It's from Doctor Who." He stage whispered.

"Oh. Sorry, I'm only on season two. But you do look really awesome." Jo snorted.

"Obviously. We always look awesome." The two women left to dance when a new, upbeat song started playing. Dean and Cas made their way through the crowd to the bar to greet Ellen. They ran into Bobby who was sitting at the end.

"You aren't wearing a costume?" Cas asked him after they had said hello. Bobby grunted and pulled an eye patch out of his pocket and slid in on.

"I'm a pirate." Dean nearly bit his lip off trying not to laugh. Ellen glided over and pulled them over the bar to kiss both of their cheeks.

"I was wondering when you two would show up. Can I get you boys a drink?"

"Just a beer. Nice hat." Ellen smirked and patted – or smacked the cheek she had just kissed.

"Where's your brother at?" Bobby asked them.

"Sam and Jess were taking Emily to a few friend's houses for trick-or-treating and then dropping her off at my mother's for the night." Cas answered him. "They should be here soon." He yelped when he was pulled suddenly into a hug from behind. "Hello Garth." he said weakly as he was released.

"Great costumes! Hey Dean!" Garth pulled Dean into his long, skinny arms, as if the two men hadn't seen each other in weeks instead of a few hours. Cas didn't know if he would ever get used to someone who hugged so much, and so enthusiastically. Kat winked at him, as if she could read his mind.

"If it isn't my favorite grumpy old man," she slinked over to Bobby and perched on the empty stool next to him. Dean almost spat his beer out. Bobby had helped Kat find a new tire for her car very shortly after she moved to town, and ever since then she fussed over him and the older man was always obviously flustered by the attention. If she hadn't gotten along so well with Ellen it might have been awkward, but the two women seemed to be fast friends and everyone thought it was hilarious how Bobby's ears would burn bright crimson when Kat laid on the charm.

"So Kat, you're a...cat?" He mumbled. She smiled and adjusted her ears.

"Naturally. How do y'all like Garth's costume? I helped him pick it out."

"Werewolf." He said with a huge grin, showing off a pair of false fangs.

"A cat and a dog? Very interesting." Cas murmured in Dean's ear.

"Hey Ellen is the kitchen open tonight? I've been testing new frosting recipes all day and I could really use something that resembles actual food."

"Sure is, but we're only doing appetizers tonight. I'm gonna guess you want some loaded fries?"

"Please! And a coke with lemon when you get a minute?"

"You got it."

"Dean!" they all turned and saw Sam towering a full head above everyone else.

"What the hell did you let Jess do to your hair?" Dean teased his brother and reached up to touch his head.

"Shut up, jerk." Sam smacked his hand away.

"We're Danny and Sandy, duh." Jess twirled and her poodle skirt swung out around her. "Oh Cas I love your Indiana Jones! A pair of Harrison Fords, so cute."

"Dean wanted something 'manly', so I thought these would be appropriate."

"Did you get Em dropped off at my Mom's alright?" He asked.

"Not a problem, I'm so glad Joanne didn't mind taking her. I'm sure she wasn't awake for very long after we left. We took her around to a few of our neighbors so she could have her first trick-or-treat experience," Jess pulled out her phone to show everyone a picture.

"Aw, is she a pumpkin?" Kat asked.

"Yeah, that was my first Halloween costume too, so I thought it might be cute. I'm going to print this out, and I have a picture of me wearing mine. I'm going to put them in a frame together."

Dean and Cas pulled away from their friends after a while and snagged a quiet booth away from all the dancing and drinking. "Man it feels good to sit down. It was a long day at the bakery." Dean sighed and stretched his legs out under the table. Cas slid in next to him and snuggled close. "It's nice to get out though. Haven't gone out in awhile, have we?"

"It has been awhile," Cas agreed. "Maybe we could make plans to go out for a nice dinner next week?" Dean smiled and pulled him in for a kiss.

"That sounds great. Anywhere you want that isn't crawling with everyone we know. I want you all to myself." Cas ran his finger tips over the thigh holster.

"Did I happen to mention how sexy I think this looks?"

"Oh really? You like a man with a weapon?" Dean asked suggestively.

"I do. I would like you to wear this for me again."

"No problem." They shared another kiss, less innocent this time.

"Only, this." Dean pulled back in surprise.

"You kinky little shit." Cas smiled up at him, dark and seductively. Dean crushed his mouth against his. It was far too dirty for such a public place, but no one paid attention to the couple in the shadowy little booth in the corner. "Shit." Dean gasped when the broke for air.

"I will take that to mean you are amiable to my request?"

"Oh baby, I am very 'amiable'. As long as you wear the hat and bring the whip." Castiel laughed and relaxed in his boyfriend's embrace.


End file.
